My army is advancing through the anime castle. Under the looming sandstone walls, the forces of good stand against the machinations of an evil dragon. Our mission is simple: to defend the gate. Permanent death has been enabled, so every move counts in this turn-based tactical RPG. I agonize over every decision I try to predict the moves of my enemies. My Pegasus Rider stays away from enemy archers, lest it be shot down. Vander, the mighty knight who nails me mighty, holds the vanguard while archers and wizards take refuge behind a line of unbendable steel.
Despite my strong formation, the enemy is dexterous and maneuvers to surround me. I adapt as best I can, and am completely immersed in Fire Emblem: Engage’s elegant combat systems. My slow, steady, and strategic approach pays off as we finally put the enemy commander down, completing the mission. But at this point, I realized something wasn’t quite right. I searched from my Nintendo Switch. It’s one in the morning.
No Fire Emblem has been this effective at waking up my voracious hunger “again” since Fire Emblem 7, the first title in the series to grace Western shores in 2003. In those days, gorgeous orcs battled on 2D plains, and the turn of death was compulsory. . In just about every aspect, Engage is a solid and self-conscious effort to evoke the nail-biting tactical demands of the “classic” Fire Emblem.
It runs counter to the bland approach of its predecessor: Fire Emblem Three Houses, which pairs the series’ turn-based combat with a relaxed anime academy simulation experience. Fire Emblem Engage returns to the grit and ruthlessness at the heart of the tactical series.
What’s old is new again
Old and new help features to enhance Fire Emblem’s challenging turn-based combat. The weapon triangle returns, and sees the game’s weapons take on a stone-paper-scissors relationship — swords get buffs against axes, axes against spears, and spears against swords. But developer Intelligent Systems has added welcome twists to the mechanic.
The new “break” system means that if you hit an opponent with a weapon they’re vulnerable against, they’ll drop their weapon, disrupting their counterattack. This can be a great way to outwit tricky boss enemies, removing the threat of their (often fatal) counterattacks. However, you’ll need to watch out because your units are just as vulnerable to “breaking” as your opponents. Putting your swordplayer within range of a lancer’s weapons is just asking for trouble.
With the “engage” command, your fighter can meld with stealth, unlocking a skill set and a single-use finishing move.
The big new system is what gives Fire Emblem Engage its name. During your campaign, warriors will find rings containing the ghosts of Fire Emblem heroes of the past. Simply wearing the Emblem Ring grants the character access to additional skills and abilities reminiscent of the respective hero. However, with the “engage” command, your fighter can meld with stealth, unlocking a skill set and a single-use ultimate move. Although you usually only have a three-turn clock to use these powers, they can drastically change the course of a battle.
This also allows for some wild collections. Give Sigurd’s Ring to your slow knight, and they will be able to gallop across the battlefield with uncharacteristic speed. Characters can also inherit abilities from their Emblem Rings, allowing these changes to become permanent. The ingenuity and scope of the innovation is astounding; Logo rings are not an empty gimmick.
Live and let die
I was playing the game on really hard with permanent death enabled, and I needed every advantage I could to beat my enemies. While there’s no right or wrong way to play Fire Emblem Engage, I’ve always seen the threat of character death as a hallmark of the series. The threat of losing one of your beloved anime companions adds great weight to the battles – something that goes way back. Turn-based RPG like Tactics Ogre.
You can turn back time if you mess things up, but the Get Out of Jail card has a limited fee, so you can only save so much. Even with the rewinding softening of the experience, I’ve found Classic mode to be the best kind of relentless puzzle square. The penalty for a bad tactical move is mortal, so I think about every troop command, considering how to open myself up to the enemy, but even then I make mistakes. In some of the most challenging fights, 10 roll rewind feels like a drop in the ocean.
When it comes to strategy and scratching the classic “one more turn” itch, Engage delivers in spades
Good puzzles run through every Engage mode and difficulty level, so you don’t have to escalate things to see what Fire Emblem Engage has to offer. Whichever difficulty you prefer, it provides a very satisfying and well-realized combat experience. As a fairly longtime Fire Emblem fan, I’m exactly the kind of person Engage is trying to attract. When it comes to strategy and scratching the classic “just one more turn” itch, Engage delivers in spades, delivering the most complete and satisfying tactical combat experience in Fire Emblem history.
However, as a fan of subtle storytelling and the organic friendship-building of Three Houses, I found Engage’s experience outside of combat to be somewhat frustrating. The complex and fascinating web of relationships that define three houses has been dispensed with in favor of a more streamlined but less in-depth set of character interactions. Despite that, I very much enjoyed my time with Engage. The subtle challenge of its well-designed combat is enough to keep me coming back for more.